Building Your Capacity
Perhaps you’ve heard of adaptive capacity, but why is it essential to your leadership?
Adaptive capacity allows leaders to remain resilient, resourceful, and responsive when facing challenges and changing circumstances. It helps leaders shift and modify strategies while staying true to their core mission. For teams, adaptive capacity fosters a culture of curiosity and innovation, enabling them to embrace change and thrive in new seasons.
In his new “Practicing Change” book series, Tod Bolsinger defines adaptive capacity as “the capacity to apply and adapt the organization’s most sacred core values so that its mission will thrive in this new environment.” He adds, "Your primary work as a leader is to develop your own capacity to lead your people through the transformation necessary to face the challenges of a changing world."
There are many ways leaders can “practice change” and develop adaptive capacity. One powerful method is to practice deep listening to those around you. As Rabbi Jonathan Sacks shares in his book "Lessons in Leadership," “to lead is to listen.” In Deuteronomy, the verb SH-M-A, which means “to hear, to listen, to heed, to pay attention to, to obey, to understand,” appears ninety-two times. Sacks clarifies that this verb has a deeper, more active meaning than our English “listen.” It involves hearing the emotions behind words and understanding what is said and unsaid.
This concept ties in with Ronald Heifetz and Marty Linsky's balcony and dance floor analogy. This analogy describes the need for leaders to alternate between listening directly in the action (dance floor) and stepping back to gain a broader perspective and understanding (balcony). Both intentional listening and reflective understanding are essential components of effective leadership, helping leaders stay attuned to their teams and adapt to changing circumstances.
Building Your Capacity:
How might you foster curiosity and deep listening (SH-M-A) in your leadership this week?
In what areas may you need to move from solely “hearing” to a posture of “understanding?”
Who do you need to listen to on the dance floor, and where do you need to gain a deeper understanding from the balcony?
